Mauthausen Concentration Camp Day Trip From Vienna

Clara, our guide who accompanied us, was wonderful. So knowledgeable and willing to share. Also, the guide at the camp was very knowledgeable. Also, the transportation was comfortable and roomy. All in all it was a very informative tour, albeit a very somber place.

It’s hard to find the right words to describe this experience. On one side it is a beautiful location and on the other, it is a site of suffering that you cannot measure. I find that is it a must do/see for individuals who wish to not only pay their respects to the poor souls extinguished here, but for those interested in the history behind a place such as this. As a tour it is fantastic, we were promptly picked up at the meeting point and the fantastic driver and our lovely tour guide Clara were most accommodating and actually dropped me and my friend off where we needed to along the route, saving a lot of time and hassle! I left Mauthausen feeling sad but also well informed once again at what humanity is capable of. I thoroughly recommend this tour

This experience was worth the long drive although the countryside was beautiful once we left Vienna. A guide was provided for us at the memorial who was extremely knowledgeable, respectful and encouraged conversation. The tour lasted two hours, and we had more time to explore the museum on our own. I would highly recommend this excursion.

Our guide was knowledgeable and thoughtful. A very interesting and informative tour of Mauthausen. Glad we chose a tour rather than navigate the transportation from Vienna ourselves.

An indepth overview of life in this concentration camp. The horrific conditions and excruciating circumstances were revealed through excellent educational exhibits and walking through the barracks where the prisoners lived. We will never forget!

Visiting the Mauthausen Memorial was a sobering and worthwhile experience. Our guided tour took us through the former camp grounds, the quarry area, the prisoners’ barracks, the crematorium, and the gas chamber. The physical setting, especially the steep quarry and the infamous “Stairs of Death,” helped convey something of the cruelty, exhaustion, and deliberate brutality inflicted upon those imprisoned here. I could not help comparing the experience with my visit to Auschwitz in 1976. Auschwitz presented the evidence of what happened there in an immediate and deeply personal way: enormous displays of victims’ shoes, human hair, prosthetic limbs, and other possessions made it impossible to remain emotionally detached. Mauthausen felt more restrained and, to me, considerably more sanitized. Much of what we saw consisted of empty buildings, restored spaces, and crematory equipment that had long since fallen silent. The historical importance of the site is unquestionable, but I came away feeling that it did not transport visitors into the reality of the victims’ experience as powerfully or as unambiguously as Auschwitz had done for me.

It was a deeply moving experience. Our guides were excellent. We had a good balance of time with the guides and to see the museums and memorials. I highly recommend this tour

The tour van was comfortable and informative. The tour itself was respectful and educational of the time period. If you have time on your Aistrian vacation, I recommend you visit this historic piece of history.

This tour of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp was excellent. The guide was prepared and provided a great deal of historical information that was relevant to every part of the camp that we toured. I never felt rushed through it at all. We were given time to learn about each portion and given time to take in the information. Additionally, our driver that picked us up in Vienna and drove us to Mauthausen was EXCELLENT! He could be a tour guide himself-he may be I don't know, but I felt safe with him as a driver and he was very knowledgeable about so much all along the way to the camp.

We felt it was important to visit Mauthausen while we were in Austria. It was a comfortable bus ride to the site and our guide on the bus did a good job of sharing information about Vienna and Mauthausen. Once we arrived, Adam was our tour guide. He did a wonderful job of providing information about the concentration camp, as well as the surrounding villages at the time. We felt fortunate to have had Adam as our guide.

Wow! Fantastic tour escort and driver who provided insightful commentary and history during drive. Very accommodating for people’s needs for different drop off points! Iris was our camp guide. Amazing and passionate insights, history and discussion. The best tour of our monthlong trip. More people need to see this and hear the history.

Starting with the lighter part of the day, the bus ride is enjoyable as we passed through some very scenic areas and Clara, our tour guide on the bus was informative and helpful. The Mauthausen concentration camp itself was, as expected, a very sobering experience. The camp is located on a hill just outside the town with tranquil views of the surrounding countryside. The reality of the unspeakable suffering that was inflicted upon the prisoners is hard to comprehend. Elena, our guide at the camp was excellent, bringing a great deal of knowledge and sensitivity to a very difficult subject. A very thought-provoking, disturbing but worthwhile visit.

Clara gave a very good explanation of what to expect before we got to the concentration camp. At the camp, our guide Elena was excellent. It was a a somber day but very well worth it.

This was an excellent tour. The full tour is 08:30-17:00 with a 2 hour drive to and from the site so you have about 4 hours at the site which I thought was enough. There is a 2 hour guided tour and the rest of the time is on your own and to get some lunch if you choose. A separate guide provides information on the drive to and from Mouthausen. Both guides were very good.

I was impressed by the knowledge of both guides (on the bus and the camp itself). They explained the level of atrocities well. It’s too bad that the weather did not cooperate well. It was a plus having an American tour guide inside the camp. I did not become emotional because of the atrocities and the camp did not gross me out. What was made clear was the level of complicity and the industrial capacity employed to carry out the policy of hatred.

You think you already know everything about the Holocaust from the books that you’ve read or movies or shows you’ve seen, but being actually present in this place would tell you otherwise. Our guide was Irene, an amazing lady who’s doing something great for visitors such as myself. She’s a retired professor and wants to spend her retirement in educating every person who chose to visit Mauthausen. This is not an enjoyable experience, BUT it is a must visit place, so each one of us can help out in preserving the peace and humanity as well as make sure that this horrible event never happens again!

The guide/driver during the drive from and back to Vienna was very professional and informative. The guide at the camp was exceptionally informative and thorough and professional. While overall the experience was heartbreaking, the experience was on par with the holocaust museum in Washington DC in terms of benefits of the experience.

This was a very moving experience. It is so important to learn about what happened here so that we understand the truth and never repeat it. Our guide was excellent, very respectful in covering what happened there and kind.

It was a sad, somber and also extremely interesting and important tour with our guide Irene Kopl who did an incredible job, and was exceptionally knowledgeable. Very highly recommended.

The site has been little altered; showers and autoclave still in place, now-empty barracks rooms but readily visualized overfilled with captives. Authentic and moving experience. Monuments installed by home nations of those imprisoned are thought-provoking. Museum is thorough and contemporary displays are excellent. I could have spent 3 hours there but had only 55 minutes.

A visit to a concentration camp is never an easy or comfortable experience. However, as a retired World History and Holocaust teacher it is a NECESSARY experience especially in current times. To some history is uncomfortable and that is why we need to understand why it is uncomfortable and not repeat it. This visit was so very enlightening due to our incredible guide Ferdinand. His knowledge and insight into the camp seen through the perpetrators and the victims made this a truly and necessary experience. This tour is a must to understand the past and how it relates to the present and NEVER allow to happen again.

Outstanding trip, very efficient timing wise, Mauthausen has a fascinating and tragic history. Our guides both on the coach and on site were terrific and knowledgeable. The history speaks for Itself and I went from wondering what we would do with nearly two hours of free time to realising we needed an hour longer so don’t mess around if you want to soak up the knowledge and get around as much as you can

Our guide grew up in the area and was very knowledgeable. He was responsive to questions and provided a thorough overview of the camp.

Wow. What an eye opener. The building itself is spectacular. Restored and maintained immaculately. Local guide at the museum so very knowledgeable. The history of the incarcerated...wow. After WWII, we ALL said this should never ever happen again. We need to right the wrongs. We need to learn from history. And make sure this never ever happens again. *

8 hrs from Vienna. 2 hr drive each way. Guided 2 hr tour that was excellent. Miscommunication on departure time didn’t leave us much time to explore. Moving. Informative.

The tour guide in the bus was so nice and the drive was quite pleasant. The time at Mauthausen was just enough and our guide there was also great. Depending on the weather, people should dress in layers as there’s a considerable amount of time spent outside. This group was able to visit the quarry, which was really amazing.

There are lots of reviews already about this tour and how amazing it is , and I echo all the comments. It is absolutely worth doing if you are in Vienna. Clara was our guide, we are English speakers and her English is fantastic, however as there were also Spanish passengers in the mini bus when she was describing historical events on the journey in English the Spanish passengers would talk all over her and when she was translating into Spanish we English speakers stayed quiet so the Spanish passengers could hear her!!. Clara please ask your passengers to remain quiet when you give the explanations in both languages as you have a lot of information that we missed because of this and even after a few stares and requests to be quiet a lot of what you said was lost. Martin the guide at the camp was exceptional, again fantastic knowledge and English, because we were only 5 English speakers he gave us a very in depth and personal tour which was the highlight of the trip, we learnt information we never would have got from the audio tour, so that in itself was worth every penny. The on site café was reasonable to grab something to eat. Martin told us to watch the film ' The photographer of Mauthausen' we watched it after the tour on Netflix in our hotel and just brought the tour even more to life as we could relate with what we had seen earlier on in the day. Do it ... you wont be disappointed.

Fantastic experience that everyone should have to see. Our tour guide (Robert) was extremely knowledgeable. He also provided the history of Vienna and pointed out historical and interesting places during the drive. If you are thinking about taking this tour, I strongly consider you do it.

I went with my young adult son. I felt it was important to physically see a concentration camp, and I’m glad we went. The guide at Mauthausen was excellent, and pointed out similarities between 1933 Germany and today in different parts of the world. Our tour operator guide was very good also, providing info while on the bus to and from. Bus was very comfortable! The visit is a must and will have an impact on you.

This was an all day tour by bus to the camp. We had an English speaking tour and then some time to walk around on our own and have lunch at the cafe.

It was well run, informative and sensitively handled. Well looked after and clearly explained role of camp, villagers and interactions at that time.

Very educational. Easy to walk and a excellent guide! Guide was extremely pleasant, knowledgeable and caring.

This tour provided a very good insight into the history of the concentration camp, would highly recommend. Also the tour guide made it a very interactive tour instead of just walking through

An amazing and somber experience. If you are interested in history and the plight of others, this is an experience for you. We traveled in comfort with an excellent guide, Clara. We were meet at the memorial by another guide who spoke excellent English and gave us a very informative tour. To be able to walk the grounds, to be in original buildings, to see what they saw was a moving and formidable experience. We were given plenty of time on our own and then taken by our coach bus down to the rock quarry. An unforgettable experience I highly recommend I also thought the bus driver did a very good job. He was calm and patient. I felt safe traveling

Very informative yet somber tour. The tour guide provided a wealth of info both on the bus there, & on the guided tour. We must never forget.

My husband and I are both really into history. We expected it to be quite somber and informative. There’s just no way to put into words the magnitude this trip had on us. We recommend it 100% to anyone traveling in Prague. It’s worth every penny. Our guide, Elena, had a difficult time with English at times but was fantastic. It’s approx a 2hr bus ride from Prague through the beautiful countryside on a comfortable air-conditioned bus. Once there, the tour starts outside the walls of the concentration camp where the guide takes you through multiple stops along the way. There is a memorial garden where countries have erected memorials to commemorate their people who died at the camp. The tour then takes you inside the walls and through the buildings inside the camp where you hear the horrific stories of life as a prisoner. Our group asked questions along the way but was mainly quiet. It’s very intense and not for little kids. I have to admit, I was brought to tears. It’s part of our history that should never be forgotten so it’s never repeated. Nothing is like this experience.

A sombre experience,but this tour is a must. Our guide at Mauthausen was really brilliant. Dark and confronting,but worth it.

Very good and educational. This is not a trip for enjoyment, but will give you a frightful insight in how cruel humanity can be. Its something i think everyone should experience, to be aware of what could happen again. Espesially these days. The guide and driver was exellent, friendly and has a lot of knowlegde. Thank you for the experience!

Our tour guide (Ray, hope I remembered his name correctly) was very professional and spoke excellent English. He made the journey very enjoyable and his knowledge of his country and of Austrian wine was well delivered and well received. The transportation was high class and very comfortable. Mauthausen camp was well preserved and the tour itself which took 3 hours was very interesting. The staircase and quarry made you glad you weren’t there at the time. If you’re interested in history it’s a must see but it shows you how cruel people can be to their fellow man.

Our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable. While in the bus we watched a video, a historical account of the time. Wear comfortable shoes, lunch on the way back. Although I do not have any close relative that felt the pain of the war, it is an emotional experience.

There is nothing gruesome or uncomfortable to look at. Just read up a little on it before you go because the guide doesn't go with you. It's a self led tour and I found the map and order of monuments a little hard to follow.

This was a fabulous tour, Irene who was our guide was amazing! So informative The driver on our bus was not so good, didn’t speak and got upset when we asked about air conditioning! The tour guide was also average, hard to understand on the microphone and not very welcoming

The will give you a horrible example of what was one on the worst cults in world history, I highly recommend - it is a wonderful memorial of the 90,000 that perished there. you will find it hard to believe that these slim balls could live with themselves about what they did......

Although it was overwhelming to see what happened at Mauthausen it was a tour that I will never forget. The ride to the camp was excellent and the tour guide was very good.

Johann is a excellent tour guide, knowledgeable and passionate. A sad and tragic time in history came alive for us. Johann wants people to remember so that this will never happen again.

Our guide Joseph was very informative. He gave us information about the areas we were passing by while on the 2 hour trip to Mauthausen Concentration Camp. At the camp Johan, our guide was fabulous! He was so informative and it was like you experienced the terror yourself. I highly recommend this tour.

Very moving and well done guided tour. Johann did a great job - very knowledgeable. The tone of the tour was perfect

Our English speaking g tour guide, Martin, was wonderful. He was incredibly knowledgeable and facilitated an emotional and thought-provoking experience.

A very sobering tour. Hard to wrap your head around how cruel people can be to each other. We knew very little about this type of camp as most are familiar with Auschwitz. But to be there and see what people went through. Its so important to remember these places so we dont put ourselves through it again. Our guide was amazing, insightful, and knowledgeable.